Amnesia: Rebirth's less terrifying, more accessible Adventure Mode now available on PlayStation
And PS5 boosted to 60fps.
Frictional Games' desert horror Amnesia: Rebirth can now be played in a relatively terror-free fashion on PlayStation thanks to the arrival of its 'Indiana Jones like' Adventure Mode.
Amnesia: Rebirth, in both its original and Adventure Mode guise, takes players on an unsettling 1930s adventure across the Algerian desert, charting the journey of protagonist Tasi Trianon as she attempts to piece together fragments of her past.
It's another strong outing for Frictional, and its story has come in for particular praise (Eurogamer contributor Vikki Blake said it "gripped me right up until the credits rolled" in her review). The only potential problem is that getting through it all requires a certain tolerance for the horrible, given the tense, claustrophobic gameplay that surrounds it - and that's where Rebirth's Adventure Mode comes in.
Adventure Mode (which launched on PC in March) is broadly similar to the death-jettisoning Safe Mode added to Frictional's sci-fi horror SOMA back in 2017. Rebirth's version takes things even further, however, removing all life-threatening monster encounters, the harrowing audio and visual effects that would ordinarily impact Tasi's fear levels, plus the suffocating darkness that permeates many areas of the game.
These latter sections have now been lit "to a point where you won't have the same feeling of claustrophobia and trepidation," says Frictional, "allowing you to explore freely without worrying about monsters or Tasi's mental state."
Frictional reckons the end result "feels a lot more like an Indiana Jones type of adventure in places where it would otherwise be more of a horror experience" - but it's not all about subtractions. Adventure Mode also introduces a number of bonus puzzles designed to deliver an experience closer to a "true Lovecraftian mystery adventure novel."
"We believe that anyone who loves a good story-driven adventure game will be stoked about this new mode," says Frictional's Fredrik Olsson. "Not everyone is into horror and we don't want that to block people from experiencing Tasi's story".
In addition to Adventure Mode, today's update boosts performance on PlayStation 5 to 60fps, doubling the 30fps cap seen on PlayStation 4. If any of that appeals and you've yet to experience Amnesia: Rebirth, it's available via the PlayStation Store for £23.99.